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iZombie: The Complete Third Season (2017)

Plot: Now that Liv (Rose McIver) has been forced to reveal her zombie status to those around her, things could have taken an unfortunate turn, but instead, her revelation seems to have only positive results. As she adjusts to life in the open, she still has to work all kinds of cases and such, but she and the others also have to contend with what could be, as tensions rise between humans and zombies. A zombie militia offers some respite to protect the undead, but it also poses a real threat that could be seen as an invitation for all out war. Meanwhile, new cases seem to point to a new, looming threat and while Blaine (David Anders) has put his past behind him, not everyone is as eager to forget as he was. And as if all this drama wasn’t enough, with each new case, a whole new set of problems is certain to arrive.

Entertainment Value: This third season of iZombie brings some big changes, some of which have a serious impact on the show’s dynamics. I think the decision to have Liv drop the facade and reveal her zombie status was a wise choice, as it was a fun thread for a while, but began to hold back the show’s full potential. Now with the secrets out in the open, the series can weave all the stories together and not be concerned with having to preserve her hidden side. The benefits are noticeable right off the bat, as the show feels more cohesive and less like a fractured narrative, so I appreciate that the series went in this new direction. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the way Blaine’s amnesia goes, but I can see why it happened. This allows a clean slate of sorts and the character can build a new persona, but it feels a little cheap at the same time. I am at least glad his past actions are held up in people’s minds, but I do think a “I forgot I’m a bad guy” approach was just a little much for me. But I love iZombie, so if I have to overlook that in order for the show to be better than ever, I am fine with that.

I also like how that now all cards are on the table, more or less, the show can start building toward bigger picture narrative arcs, which is exactly what happens over the course of this season. The march toward a potential humans vs. zombies war has a lot of potential on numerous fronts, both in the larger scheme of the show’s world and within our small, established group. So while some might not like multiple, show changing direction shifts, I think iZombie needed some fresh elements to continue to grow and that is just what this third season has done. The cast is good as always, with Rose McIver a constant force in the show and she’s able to carry the lead with ease, in a dynamic, impossible to ignore performance. I also enjoyed seeing the characters able to interact more fully, since the narrative limitation of Liv’s status is lifted. This is another benefit of the changes, as now we can see more open, ungated interactions between the entire cast, which is awesome. I do think this season is a little more serious, but the same sense of humor is still here, just not as frequent. If you’re a fan of iZombie, you’ll love this season and if you haven’t checked out the show yet, you can read reviews of the first two seasons on this site as well.